Putin Declares Ukrainian Counteroffensive a Failure

Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that Ukraine's counteroffensive had failed during talks with his Belarus counterpart, Alexander Lukashenko. The meeting, which took place in Saint Petersburg, followed a Russian strike on Ukraine's Black Sea port of Odesa. Lukashenko stated that Belarus was controlling the situation with the Wagner fighters, who are now hosted in the country, while accusing Poland of territorial ambitions on Ukraine and Belarus. Putin thanked Lukashenko for his support and vowed to defend Belarus if attacked. The comments came after Putin referred to western Poland as a gift from Stalin, leading to Poland summoning the Russian ambassador.